{"id":73,"date":"2017-01-30T12:55:07","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T20:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.preppersoft.com\/blog\/?p=73"},"modified":"2017-02-20T14:59:41","modified_gmt":"2017-02-20T22:59:41","slug":"use-your-gear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.preppersoft.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/30\/use-your-gear\/","title":{"rendered":"Prepper Resolution #4: Use Your Gear"},"content":{"rendered":"

We just had Christmas about a month ago, and if you’re like many preppers, you\u00a0 likely received some preparedness related gear as a gift.\u00a0 It’s tempting to think “ok, I can cross that off my list now”, keep it boxed up, and squirrel it away into your garage, shed, barn, or wherever you stash your gear.\u00a0 It is then very likely to either never get tried out, or sit idle for a long period of time before being rediscovered.\u00a0 This is a bad idea for several reasons.<\/p>\n

Something Ain’t Right<\/h5>\n

The gear may be defective or not function how you expect.\u00a0 Most things have a limited time return policy, so if something is defective, you risk in the best case scenario not being able to return it to the store for a credit.\u00a0 In the worst case, if it’s something you’re depending on for survival such as a generator<\/a>, piece of medical equipment, or solar panel kit<\/a>, you don’t want to find out it doesn’t work on the day the power goes out for an extended period of time and you absolutely were counting on it.\u00a0 That new pre-built bug out bag<\/a> looks very stylish and holds a ton of stuff, but unless you go out for a hike carrying it, you won’t know if it will be too heavy, be durable enough to last, suitably protect your gear from rain\/snow, or rub a raw spot on your shoulder because it just doesn’t fit quite right.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Climate Sensitivity<\/h5>\n

The item may perform differently at different times of the year.\u00a0 Consider a Sun Oven<\/a>, which is an extremely useful appliance to have for cooking and baking should traditional power not be available or in remote locations.\u00a0 It is going to perform quite differently in winter, when the sun stays low in the sky and ambient temperatures are much cooler, than in the summer.\u00a0 Items that use batteries such as cell phones, handheld GPS units<\/a>, or voltmeters<\/a> will likewise typically drain battery charge much faster in the cold of winter.\u00a0 You’ll want to practice with these items in a variety of elemental conditions so you can gauge their performance and have proper expectations for their use.<\/p>\n

Know How to Use It<\/h5>\n

Using our gear also builds up our personal familiarity and skills.\u00a0 This applies pretty much across the board to all kinds of gear, as everything has a learning curve.\u00a0 Don’t wait until you’re out camping til you try to setup that new fancy tent.\u00a0 Don’t wait until there is no other means to cook food before gaining familiarity with how to use your rocket stove<\/a>.\u00a0 A tricked out first aid kit<\/a> is of very limited use unless you know what’s in it and how to use those items.\u00a0 And the all time example of needing to build up skills and experience with gear before relying on it: gardening<\/strong>.\u00a0 You absolutely do not want to be in a position where you’re relying on growing your own food to survive, yet you’ve never had experience building up the soil quality, putting a seed in the ground, and harvesting a successful crop.\u00a0 The prepper who buys a “survival seed bank<\/a>“, tucks it away, and never tries to grow anything is in for quite a disappointment should its use ever become critical.<\/p>\n

Get on a Schedule<\/h5>\n

It’s important to use your gear not just once or twice, but with regularity.\u00a0 Some skills are not like riding a bike, and you will forget them over time.\u00a0 A classic example of this is proficiency with firearms.\u00a0 If you don’t go to the range at least somewhat regularly, your marksmanship will deteriorate over time.<\/p>\n

During 2017, we will be releasing software that will help you not only in knowing what gear you have and where it is, but also in keeping this resolution to regularly use your gear.\u00a0 In the meantime, try hard to remember to use the gear you have, because ultimately the best tool for ensuring your survival is not just the equipment, but the equipment in the hands of a proficient operator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We just had Christmas about a month ago, and if you’re like many preppers, you\u00a0 likely received some preparedness related gear as a gift.\u00a0 It’s tempting to think “ok, I can cross that off my list now”, keep it boxed up, and squirrel it away into your garage, shed, barn, or wherever you stash your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":74,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,43],"tags":[45,44,46],"class_list":["post-73","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-skills","tag-equipment","tag-gear","tag-skills"],"yoast_head":"\nPrepper Resolution #4: Use Your Gear - PrepperSoft<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.preppersoft.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/30\/use-your-gear\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Prepper Resolution #4: Use Your Gear - 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